Seeing my sudden appearance, Yang Jong was unable to hide his shock. It was only natural for him to be shocked at the sight of the Blood Demon coming to his rescue.
-Have you been planning this? To play the drum and flute on your own?
Short Sword giggled and told me this.
Did you think I did this because I enjoyed it? It was because saving him using the Blood Demon would do more good than saving him as So Wonwhi.
Well, since I did save him, I did have a good reason.
I approached him after he recognized me by my demon mask. It must be something more because his blood points were still sealed.
I spoke to him.
“I was passing by and noticed you were in trouble.”
“… are you really the Blood Demon?”
He was only half sure. Well, believing it immediately would be hard. I casually threw the Blood Demon Sword at him.
Puak!
The very noticeable Blood Demon Sword inserted itself right next to him. Seeing him flinch and look at the sword with fear was quite something.
The man quietly opened his eyes and looked at the Blood Demon Sword with shaking eyes.
The man rolled his head as he was thinking and then said,
“Why are you saving people from the Murim Alliance?”
Look at him acting out.
He probably thought that I didn’t hear their conversation and was pretending to be a Murim Alliance member.
I smiled and said,
“The Murim Alliance seemed to like killing their comrades then.”
“…”
“If my ears weren’t wrong, I don’t think you’re from the Alliance either.”
My words caused his face to go stiff. Fooling me was impossible, so he looked at me and said,
“Why save me when you know who I am? I have nothing to do with you.”
In response to this question, I put my hands behind my back and said.
“Of course, it matters. It’s because of the person behind the one that died before you.”
“What do you mean?”
He tried to pretend his ignorance until the end.
“This one is with the person with the golden eye. His subordinates call him Lord.”
My words made his eyes tremble as he gulped.
“How?”
“You seem to know a lot about them.”
There was no need to play it safe, so I simply spoke the truth, and that was all I needed.
“…”
“It’s fine to thank me. I want to hear something in return for saving your life.”
“What are you talking about…”
‘Blood Demon Sword.’
At my word, the sword began to slowly move towards him.
Crack!
The sword was moving by itself, so he became bewildered and said,
“W-what are you trying to do!”
“If you continue to insist on staying silent, you are worthless to me.”
There was no kindness for someone with no worth. It’d be better to show him a ruthless side instead of eating him up already.
Yang Jong shouted.
“Look. It doesn’t have to be like this. After you saved me, why now…”
“You saw me.”
There was no need to give him any other reason. Hearing this, he made a strange expression as if he had noticed something and then shouted at me.
“I-if because of that, then I can be silent.”
“Silent?”
“Do you also want to die at his hands?”
What was this?
I wondered what he was saying, but as the sword cut through the wagon wall, he continued.
“S-sir, please. Didn’t you personally step out and deal with him?”
… Aha.
So this was how he was going to approach it.
Come to think of it, the rumors that I, as So Wonwhi, had made the Blood Demon withdraw from the Yangtze were widespread now. It was quite possible that he was talking about the Blood Demon seeking revenge on So Wonwhi.
Even if there was no other reason, I guessed what he wanted to say and felt comfortable with this.
Shhh!
As soon as the blade touched skin, he screamed in surprise.
“What do you want?”
‘Blood Demon Sword.’
At my call, Blood Demon Sword stopped in place.
At this, a breath of relief escaped from Yang Jong, who was sweating.
“Haa…”
“Looks like you are ready to talk now.”
“… if not, my body will be broken into pieces. What choice do I have??”
He was honestly asking this, so I gave him an answer.
“What is the reason this Lord is collecting swords, and which ones has he not gained?”
In response, he took a deep breath and asked back.
“…why do you want to know about that?”
“I ask the questions.”
“I know. However, no matter how much my life is at stake, if one is on friendly terms with them…”
“If you are friendly with them, they shouldn’t kill you.”
He quickly understood and exhaled slowly and calmly. Since he couldn’t move his body yet, he simply kept breathing.
-Is this fine?
Of course.
This was part of the basics of the life of a spy.
It was all about reading other people’s emotions. Of course, if the other person was a spy for a long time, then they would be good at hiding their emotions, making it harder to read.
This man was looking at something while worried and said,
“… I am sorry if that is the case, but I have nothing to say to you.”
“Nothing to say?”
What nonsense was this?
Didn’t he speak earlier about how he knew about it? Why did he refuse to speak now?
“You wanted to prove how worthless you are?”
Hearing my words, he denied it by moving his eyes from side to side.
“It isn’t that. All I know is that it ends there.”
“What?”
“I don’t know anything about this lord except that he is the person we served in the past. If you want to know, it is just that the ties had gone sour due to something.”
“… this is all nonsense. But why do you speak like you aren’t familiar with him?”
“T-that is the only thing I have heard from the person I served.”
So, did he just exaggerate his knowledge to live?
Ah…
I felt annoyed.
This meant he knew nothing about the inside story. In other words, it was false bravado for survival.
After all, it was impossible to learn about that man.
“Phew.”
It seemed like I did something unnecessary. Should I have just let the two sides clash?
I let out a sigh and openly showed my disappointment. He then said,
“I didn’t mean to trick you.”
“In conclusion, it still turned out like a ruse.”
“It isn’t like that. The one I serve knows.”
“…”
That was something I already knew. If it’s the person I was thinking of, making contact would be difficult.
I was worried.
Should I still take the risk just to learn more about the Lord?
-How dangerous is this?
I told you.
If I pressed further, Baek Hyang-muk, leader of the Murim Alliance, would have to step forward, and I would not be able to stop him. I was unsure if the information would be given to me as intended.
-But Wonhwi, wouldn’t it be better to take a risk anyway, risky or not?
‘How?’
-That one’s subordinates were aiming for your sister. Would you give up quickly and easily this time just because you failed? If we had a plan, then can’t we devise a way to respond?
…That’s pretty good?
Short Sword’s words held some truth.
The person behind this man was a monster. Things wouldn’t be good for us either way.
The risk would be great, but not knowing the opponent would be dangerous. I should make my move.
Tatata!
I released his blood points, puzzling him.
“You are freeing me?”
“Not freeing you.”
“Then?”
“Tell the person you serve that the Blood Sect proposes an alliance.”
‘…!!’
His eyes widened in shock.
He seemed to be quite surprised by this offer and said to me seriously.
“I, too, owe you my life, so I would like to leave with gratitude, but the person behind me is someone completely different from what you think. To join hands…”
“Forget it. Just pass on the words.”
“… are you saying that since you know who I serve by chance?”
As if I wouldn’t.
“The Revolting Mother, Cheol Sa-ryun.”
“What? The Revolting Mother?”
Song Jwa-baek was surprised and asked in shock. He wasn’t the only one surprised. Even Sima Young’s eyes were wide open.
Their reaction was natural.
The Revolting Mother, Cheol Sa-ryun.
The Four Great Evils, no, it was the Five Great Evils now.
She was one of them.
If we considered her as just one of the Five Great Evils, then we could be seen to have an equal relationship since I was one of them as well, but it wasn’t like that.
That woman was counted as one of the strongest five in all of Murim, alongside Wicked Moon Sword.
Additionally, she was a monster who was thought of as an evil villain for years because her body had risen to an unbelievable realm, despite being a woman.
“No, why did you ask for such a monster?”
“I told you. They know something about the golden-eyed man’s organization.”
She might even know of their weaknesses.
I have also encountered them but knew nothing except for the fact that they were plotting something. However, they were still difficult targets to hit.
“They are openly targeting the lord?”
“Yeah.”
It was a bit embarrassing.
Song Woo-hyun was standing guard for Yong-yong, who was in the room next to us, to prevent anything from happening.
All three women from the Phoenix Troops were also asleep.
“All fine, young lord?”
“Anxious?”
“Of course! Even my father, who everyone fears, chose that woman as the most wicked person who shouldn’t be touched.”
Did Wicked Moon Sword also feel that?
That meant this woman was dangerous. There was a reason she was called the evil among evils.
-So what now?
Since when do you think that woman was called an evil person?
-How would I know that?
Eighty years.
She was already called evil eighty years ago.
-Eik! How did she live for that long?
Well.
Rumors had it that she was at least two hundred years old, but no one knew exactly how old she was.
Only a handful of masters would be able to survive to that age.
-Then what do you know?
That there were more stories about her than the other evils.
-Stories?
Something I heard about her when I was younger was that she was blind.
It was said that she always carried the corpse of a young child on her back and walked around using an iron cage for shoes that sounded like an unpleasant bell.
-A real ghost story?
Short Sword clicked her tongue at this. There were many more rumors besides this, but the most prominent one was that she was good at sorcery.
Another rumor said that her skills were more fearsome than warriors of Mount Mo, who were referred to as Murim’s best sorcerers.
This was why most people were reluctant to touch her.
-She is dangerous.
But we had to approach her now.
She was aiming for Yong-yong. As a brother who had recently gained a reputation, I stepped forward to save her now, but what if this happened when I was far away?
Before that happens, we should make contact with her. That way, we would be able to figure out her moves.
Sima Young spoke cautiously.
“Still, I think it is dangerous for the young lord to move on his own. Why not send someone as a representative to meet?”
She turned to Song Jwa-baek, who was shocked.
“Why are you looking at me!?”
“Eh. You should know.”
“Know what.”
He clearly didn’t like the implication.
Seeing that he hated it even when Sima Young was saying it, he must really be against the idea. I then told him.
“Well, this woman will think that the golden-eyed man’s organization might target them for this, so they won’t be willing to move on their own. Do not worry…”
“Puah.”
I heard a snort of derision.
The problem was that it didn’t come from the two in front of me. I turned my head to a corner and saw that Jang Mun-ryang was there.
“What? How did he remove the blood points?”
Jwa-baek thought this was absurd.
Come to think of it, they said he was unconscious. How did he wake up and release his own blood points?
He looked at me and said,
“You want to be an ally to that insane woman? You must be insane too.”
“What is this bast…”
When Song Jwa-baek made ready to approach him, he snorted.
“Look at him talking like this to his teacher.”
“Teacher?”
“That’s right. You should be happy and humble after taking away someone else’s life’s work. And what? You’re calling me a bastard?”
At those words, Song Jwa-baek went silent.
“Ha!”
Sima Young looked at him.
“Young lord, he…”
I nodded. It seemed like his memories had returned, and he had returned to normal. He was no longer acting like a child.
But there was a problem here as I approached him.
Puak!
“Kuak!”
After kicking the man who was lightly trying to get up, I pressed him down using my foot on his chest.
“How much did you hear?”
He replied,
“You are a really stupid one. You tricked the lord, no, of all the people of the central plains in…”
He had heard everything.
He smiled.
“So Wonhwi, the new star of the Justice Faction. Or should I call you the Blood Demon?”
“Phew…”
It was no longer worth it to keep him alive. I wouldn’t know when he might become a liability, so the answer would be to kill him now and eliminate any doubt.
Did he figure it out by sensing my killing intent?
Then he urgently spoke to me.
“I have a heavy mouth.”
‘…!?’
Seeing my sudden appearance, Yang Jong was unable to hide his shock. It was only natural for him to be shocked at the sight of the Blood Demon coming to his rescue.
-Have you been planning this? To play the drum and flute on your own?
Short Sword giggled and told me this.
Did you think I did this because I enjoyed it? It was because saving him using the Blood Demon would do more good than saving him as So Wonwhi.
Well, since I did save him, I did have a good reason.
I approached him after he recognized me by my demon mask. It must be something more because his blood points were still sealed.
I spoke to him.
“I was passing by and noticed you were in trouble.”
“… are you really the Blood Demon?”
He was only half sure. Well, believing it immediately would be hard. I casually threw the Blood Demon Sword at him.
Puak!
The very noticeable Blood Demon Sword inserted itself right next to him. Seeing him flinch and look at the sword with fear was quite something.
The man quietly opened his eyes and looked at the Blood Demon Sword with shaking eyes.
The man rolled his head as he was thinking and then said,
“Why are you saving people from the Murim Alliance?”
Look at him acting out.
He probably thought that I didn’t hear their conversation and was pretending to be a Murim Alliance member.
I smiled and said,
“The Murim Alliance seemed to like killing their comrades then.”
“…”
“If my ears weren’t wrong, I don’t think you’re from the Alliance either.”
My words caused his face to go stiff. Fooling me was impossible, so he looked at me and said,
“Why save me when you know who I am? I have nothing to do with you.”
In response to this question, I put my hands behind my back and said.
“Of course, it matters. It’s because of the person behind the one that died before you.”
“What do you mean?”
He tried to pretend his ignorance until the end.
“This one is with the person with the golden eye. His subordinates call him Lord.”
My words made his eyes tremble as he gulped.
“How?”
“You seem to know a lot about them.”
There was no need to play it safe, so I simply spoke the truth, and that was all I needed.
“…”
“It’s fine to thank me. I want to hear something in return for saving your life.”
“What are you talking about…”
‘Blood Demon Sword.’
At my word, the sword began to slowly move towards him.
Crack!
The sword was moving by itself, so he became bewildered and said,
“W-what are you trying to do!”
“If you continue to insist on staying silent, you are worthless to me.”
There was no kindness for someone with no worth. It’d be better to show him a ruthless side instead of eating him up already.
Yang Jong shouted.
“Look. It doesn’t have to be like this. After you saved me, why now…”
“You saw me.”
There was no need to give him any other reason. Hearing this, he made a strange expression as if he had noticed something and then shouted at me.
“I-if because of that, then I can be silent.”
“Silent?”
“Do you also want to die at his hands?”
What was this?
I wondered what he was saying, but as the sword cut through the wagon wall, he continued.
“S-sir, please. Didn’t you personally step out and deal with him?”
… Aha.
So this was how he was going to approach it.
Come to think of it, the rumors that I, as So Wonwhi, had made the Blood Demon withdraw from the Yangtze were widespread now. It was quite possible that he was talking about the Blood Demon seeking revenge on So Wonwhi.
Even if there was no other reason, I guessed what he wanted to say and felt comfortable with this.
Shhh!
As soon as the blade touched skin, he screamed in surprise.
“What do you want?”
‘Blood Demon Sword.’
At my call, Blood Demon Sword stopped in place.
At this, a breath of relief escaped from Yang Jong, who was sweating.
“Haa…”
“Looks like you are ready to talk now.”
“… if not, my body will be broken into pieces. What choice do I have??”
He was honestly asking this, so I gave him an answer.
“What is the reason this Lord is collecting swords, and which ones has he not gained?”
In response, he took a deep breath and asked back.
“…why do you want to know about that?”
“I ask the questions.”
“I know. However, no matter how much my life is at stake, if one is on friendly terms with them…”
“If you are friendly with them, they shouldn’t kill you.”
He quickly understood and exhaled slowly and calmly. Since he couldn’t move his body yet, he simply kept breathing.
-Is this fine?
Of course.
This was part of the basics of the life of a spy.
It was all about reading other people’s emotions. Of course, if the other person was a spy for a long time, then they would be good at hiding their emotions, making it harder to read.
This man was looking at something while worried and said,
“… I am sorry if that is the case, but I have nothing to say to you.”
“Nothing to say?”
What nonsense was this?
Didn’t he speak earlier about how he knew about it? Why did he refuse to speak now?
“You wanted to prove how worthless you are?”
Hearing my words, he denied it by moving his eyes from side to side.
“It isn’t that. All I know is that it ends there.”
“What?”
“I don’t know anything about this lord except that he is the person we served in the past. If you want to know, it is just that the ties had gone sour due to something.”
“… this is all nonsense. But why do you speak like you aren’t familiar with him?”
“T-that is the only thing I have heard from the person I served.”
So, did he just exaggerate his knowledge to live?
Ah…
I felt annoyed.
This meant he knew nothing about the inside story. In other words, it was false bravado for survival.
After all, it was impossible to learn about that man.
“Phew.”
It seemed like I did something unnecessary. Should I have just let the two sides clash?
I let out a sigh and openly showed my disappointment. He then said,
“I didn’t mean to trick you.”
“In conclusion, it still turned out like a ruse.”
“It isn’t like that. The one I serve knows.”
“…”
That was something I already knew. If it’s the person I was thinking of, making contact would be difficult.
I was worried.
Should I still take the risk just to learn more about the Lord?
-How dangerous is this?
I told you.
If I pressed further, Baek Hyang-muk, leader of the Murim Alliance, would have to step forward, and I would not be able to stop him. I was unsure if the information would be given to me as intended.
-But Wonhwi, wouldn’t it be better to take a risk anyway, risky or not?
‘How?’
-That one’s subordinates were aiming for your sister. Would you give up quickly and easily this time just because you failed? If we had a plan, then can’t we devise a way to respond?
…That’s pretty good?
Short Sword’s words held some truth.
The person behind this man was a monster. Things wouldn’t be good for us either way.
The risk would be great, but not knowing the opponent would be dangerous. I should make my move.
Tatata!
I released his blood points, puzzling him.
“You are freeing me?”
“Not freeing you.”
“Then?”
“Tell the person you serve that the Blood Sect proposes an alliance.”
‘…!!’
His eyes widened in shock.
He seemed to be quite surprised by this offer and said to me seriously.
“I, too, owe you my life, so I would like to leave with gratitude, but the person behind me is someone completely different from what you think. To join hands…”
“Forget it. Just pass on the words.”
“… are you saying that since you know who I serve by chance?”
As if I wouldn’t.
“The Revolting Mother, Cheol Sa-ryun.”
“What? The Revolting Mother?”
Song Jwa-baek was surprised and asked in shock. He wasn’t the only one surprised. Even Sima Young’s eyes were wide open.
Their reaction was natural.
The Revolting Mother, Cheol Sa-ryun.
The Four Great Evils, no, it was the Five Great Evils now.
She was one of them.
If we considered her as just one of the Five Great Evils, then we could be seen to have an equal relationship since I was one of them as well, but it wasn’t like that.
That woman was counted as one of the strongest five in all of Murim, alongside Wicked Moon Sword.
Additionally, she was a monster who was thought of as an evil villain for years because her body had risen to an unbelievable realm, despite being a woman.
“No, why did you ask for such a monster?”
“I told you. They know something about the golden-eyed man’s organization.”
She might even know of their weaknesses.
I have also encountered them but knew nothing except for the fact that they were plotting something. However, they were still difficult targets to hit.
“They are openly targeting the lord?”
“Yeah.”
It was a bit embarrassing.
Song Woo-hyun was standing guard for Yong-yong, who was in the room next to us, to prevent anything from happening.
All three women from the Phoenix Troops were also asleep.
“All fine, young lord?”
“Anxious?”
“Of course! Even my father, who everyone fears, chose that woman as the most wicked person who shouldn’t be touched.”
Did Wicked Moon Sword also feel that?
That meant this woman was dangerous. There was a reason she was called the evil among evils.
-So what now?
Since when do you think that woman was called an evil person?
-How would I know that?
Eighty years.
She was already called evil eighty years ago.
-Eik! How did she live for that long?
Well.
Rumors had it that she was at least two hundred years old, but no one knew exactly how old she was.
Only a handful of masters would be able to survive to that age.
-Then what do you know?
That there were more stories about her than the other evils.
-Stories?
Something I heard about her when I was younger was that she was blind.
It was said that she always carried the corpse of a young child on her back and walked around using an iron cage for shoes that sounded like an unpleasant bell.
-A real ghost story?
Short Sword clicked her tongue at this. There were many more rumors besides this, but the most prominent one was that she was good at sorcery.
Another rumor said that her skills were more fearsome than warriors of Mount Mo, who were referred to as Murim’s best sorcerers.
This was why most people were reluctant to touch her.
-She is dangerous.
But we had to approach her now.
She was aiming for Yong-yong. As a brother who had recently gained a reputation, I stepped forward to save her now, but what if this happened when I was far away?
Before that happens, we should make contact with her. That way, we would be able to figure out her moves.
Sima Young spoke cautiously.
“Still, I think it is dangerous for the young lord to move on his own. Why not send someone as a representative to meet?”
She turned to Song Jwa-baek, who was shocked.
“Why are you looking at me!?”
“Eh. You should know.”
“Know what.”
He clearly didn’t like the implication.
Seeing that he hated it even when Sima Young was saying it, he must really be against the idea. I then told him.
“Well, this woman will think that the golden-eyed man’s organization might target them for this, so they won’t be willing to move on their own. Do not worry…”
“Puah.”
I heard a snort of derision.
The problem was that it didn’t come from the two in front of me. I turned my head to a corner and saw that Jang Mun-ryang was there.
“What? How did he remove the blood points?”
Jwa-baek thought this was absurd.
Come to think of it, they said he was unconscious. How did he wake up and release his own blood points?
He looked at me and said,
“You want to be an ally to that insane woman? You must be insane too.”
“What is this bast…”
When Song Jwa-baek made ready to approach him, he snorted.
“Look at him talking like this to his teacher.”
“Teacher?”
“That’s right. You should be happy and humble after taking away someone else’s life’s work. And what? You’re calling me a bastard?”
At those words, Song Jwa-baek went silent.
“Ha!”
Sima Young looked at him.
“Young lord, he…”
I nodded. It seemed like his memories had returned, and he had returned to normal. He was no longer acting like a child.
But there was a problem here as I approached him.
Puak!
“Kuak!”
After kicking the man who was lightly trying to get up, I pressed him down using my foot on his chest.
“How much did you hear?”
He replied,
“You are a really stupid one. You tricked the lord, no, of all the people of the central plains in…”
He had heard everything.
He smiled.
“So Wonhwi, the new star of the Justice Faction. Or should I call you the Blood Demon?”
“Phew…”
It was no longer worth it to keep him alive. I wouldn’t know when he might become a liability, so the answer would be to kill him now and eliminate any doubt.
Did he figure it out by sensing my killing intent?
Then he urgently spoke to me.
“I have a heavy mouth.”
‘…!?’
